


It Makes For a Good Story, Right?

by penstrikesmidnight



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkwardness, First Meetings, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24177232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penstrikesmidnight/pseuds/penstrikesmidnight
Summary: Hinata wonders where his first skin-on-skin contact would be with his soulmate. A high five? A fist bump? A handshake?Then he almost falls down the stairs.
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Hinata Shouyou
Comments: 20
Kudos: 313





	It Makes For a Good Story, Right?

**Author's Note:**

> For Day Three of Hinata Rarepair Week: Soulmate AU
> 
> I wrote this in like two hours, so please enjoy the ridiculousness.

Hinata was always in a rush, but never more so than when he was late to volleyball practice. It wasn't like he tried to be late, things just always seemed to come up. Like today, when Abe-san had asked Hinata to stay about twenty minutes later than his normal shift because his coworker had met his soulmate, and he was running behind because he had wanted to 'get to know her better'. And then, after Hinata finally disentangled himself from work and was speed walking down the sidewalk, he found a cat who had gotten a paw stuck in a grate in the road, and he wasn't about to leave it there to die.

He knew campus like the back of his hand, though, so he took the shortcut through the student center. It would put him just a few buildings away from the gym, a better option than having to navigate traffic and students just getting out of class while crossing the street. Most people found the street faster because of the three flights of stairs that had to be climbed in the student center. Hianta, however, could take the stairs at lightning speed and didn't have to wait for the crosswalk sign to turn. 

He made it up the stairs in less than a minute, then sprinted across the bridge linking the student center to the offices on the other side of the road. He waved cheerfully at his bio professor, who rolled her eyes but waved back. "Slow down, Hinata-kun!" she yelled at his back.

"I'm almost there!" he shouted, turning to look at her.

That was possibly the reason why he suddenly found himself teetering on the edge of the stairwell. He'd misjudged something, his speed, the length of the bridge. It could also have been because of the fact that he was thinking about how he still hadn't met his soulmate and really wanted to, and wondered where their first skin-on-skin contact would be. A high five? A fist bump?

Regardless, Hinata currently found himself windmilling his arms on the edge of the stairs, trying to regain his balance, muttered _oh shit_ as he felt his foot catch open air...

Except suddenly, he wasn't falling forward, he was jerked backward. He let out a muffled _oof_ as he thumped into someone very solid. Someone who was tall enough for him to crane his head back and see his rescuer's face, looking down at him with wide tawny eyes and a surprised expression that reminded him of an owl. 

Hinata said, "Wow, you're tall!"

It wasn't really what he had meant the first words to his rescuer to be, they just came out of his mouth without thinking. And he wasn't even sure why, because he obviously associated with tall people every day because, you know, volleyball.

The man's eyebrows rose. "Thanks, shorty."

That's when Hinata realized the situation they were in. The man was still holding Hinata the same way he had caught him, which meant he had his fingers grasping onto Hinata's pants. With his fingers touching Hinata's bare back, very close to...

The man's eyes widened. "Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!"

The hand disappeared, and Hinata had to shuffle-dance to the side so as not to repeat his almost-trip down the stairs, but the tingling on his skin didn't go away. Hinata rubbed at the spot through his pants, turning fully toward his rescuer. He was incredibly fit. He could probably pick Hinata up without any effort, which was pretty hot. Hinata wondered if he also played a sport, but he didn't think now was the time to ask. And he kind of loved the man's hair too, two toned and spiked. He really did look like an owl.

Hinata blinked. He should say something to this man who had caught him falling down a flight of concrete stairs and had, you know, had his hand down Hinata's pants because of it. "Don't apologize! If you hadn't done it, I probably would have toppled right down the stairs and broken something, and coach would have been furious, and I would have had to be benched, probably for the whole season..." Hinata took a deep breath to cut off his rambling. "So thanks."

The man laughed. "Hey, no big deal!" He rubbed at the hand that had recently been very close to Hinata's ass and Hinata felt his face turn warm at the gesture. "I'm Bokuto Koutarou, by the way."

"Hinata Shouyou!" He glanced at the clock on the phone in his hand that, miraculously, he hadn't let go of when he was fighting for his life. Priorities. "Oh, I'm going to be late! Are you going this way, Bokuto-san?"

The man smiled, big and infectious, and Hinata found himself smiling back. "Yeah, sure am. Good thing I saw you when I did." 

Hinata forced himself to keep a normal pace as they trooped down the stairs instead of taking them three at a time like he wanted to. He noticed Bokuto rub at his hand again, and he wondered if it was a nervous gesture. "What do you play, Hinata?"

Hinata smiled. "Volleyball!"

"No way! Seriously? I do too!" Bokuto laughed, throwing his head back. Hinata squeaked, then covered his mouth, but he was fairly sure Bokuto hadn't heard him. The more Hinata looked at him the more he realized that he was...extremely curious about Bokuto. And he was probably a pretty good player, if his physique was any indicator. 

Bokuto had continued speaking, and Hinata had to focus on the words, not on the way his heart was beating out of control being near this man. "But I don't go to this school, I was just here visiting a friend. Hey, listen. A bunch of us get together on Saturdays and play for fun. You can come join us if you want. At the rec center, around six."

Bokuto opened the door and motioned Hinata through first. The spot on Hinata's back was still tingling. He rubbed at it again. "That sounds so fun! Any time I can play volleyball the better, and I like to learn from all different kinds of people. I'll see if I can drop by on Saturday."

"Sounds great! I'll let you go then, since you're in a rush. Bye!"

Hinata nodded, standing there stupidly for a few seconds staring at Bokuto before saying. "Oh, yeah! See ya."

He took off at a sprint to the gym, slowing to a skip when he made it inside. More volleyball was always a good time, and maybe he'd make new friends. Bokuto seemed like an awesome person, and he was probably pretty good, he couldn't wait to watch him...

"Oi, Hinata, watch where you're going!"

Hinata smiled at Tsukishima as they narrowly avoided a collision, who rolled his eyes. "You'd better hurry and get dressed or coach is going to make you run all of practice."

"Cover for me!" Hinata said, ignoring Tsukishima as he muttered something under his breath. Hinata and Tsukishima had ended up at the same university in Tokyo after high school, and as much as Tsukishima grumbled about it, he didn't stop Hinata from hanging out with him outside of practice. Hinata hadn't thought he and Tsukishima would ever be, like, close friends, but here they were, a happy accident.

Hianta hurried to get dressed. He rubbed at the spot on his back, which wasn't really hurting anymore, just twinging uncomfortably. He thought about looking in the mirror to see if Bokuto had scratched him or something, but he didn't have that kind of time. He had to get to practice.

In the gym, he got yelled for his lack of punctuality, but he didn't have to run because apparently Tsukishima had told the coach he had had to make up a test (which, rude, but also a valid excuse). He floated through practice thinking about his almost fall and his hot rescuer and the way Hinata's heart seemed to pound every time he thought about Bokuto.

It wasn't uncommon for Hinata and Tsukishima to be the last out of the gym, since they were 1) first years who had to help clean up the gym after practice and 2) Hinata could sometimes coerce Tsukishima into staying late with him, which really left them to clean single-handedly. Today wasn't a late-practice day, but Hinata was pretty slow, still in his own world of Bokuto and his miraculous rescue.

When Hinata got out of the shower, Tsukishima was sitting on a bench, scrolling through his phone. They almost always walked back to their dorm together (they lived on the same floor, but they weren't roommates). Hinata was still surprised to see him sitting there waiting.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you sure have your head in the clouds today," Tsukishima said, not looking up from his phone. "I'm going to leave your ass if you don't get a move on."

"I'll hurry!" Hinata said, turning to rummage through his locker for his clothes.

Tsukishima's droll voice spoke up from behind him. "You have a good time last night, hmm? First touch by your soulmate, and it's in your pants."

Hinata frowned, turning to look at him. "I didn't go out last night. I had a paper due today!"

"Mmhmm," Tsukishima said, in that tone Hinata knew meant he didn't believe him. Hinata scrunched up his face to argue, but Tsukishima beat him. "You have a tramp stamp from your soulmate. Not many other ways you can get that from a first touch."

Hinata glanced over his shoulder. He couldn't see anything. He heard Tsukishima snicker as he twisted his back further, so far he basically turned a circle. "Idiot, the mirror is right there."

Hinata ran up to the mirror, turning his back so he could see the curve of his spine where four lines, like fingers, reached down into his towel, right where...

"Oh my gosh! My soulmate! He saved me from falling down the stairs today before practice! Gwah!" Hinata did a little bounce, turning his attention back to Tsukishima as he wrangled himself into his clothes. "See, I was late, so I was running down the hall..."

"When are you ever on time?" Tsukishima muttered, but Hinata spoke over him.

"And I almost fell right down, my foot missed the top stair! But then this guy, big, muscly, he said he played volleyball! He caught me!"

"By the back of your pants?" Tsukishima said with raised eyebrows. Hinata nodded enthusiastically, bouncing on one foot as he tried not to lose his balance putting on his jeans too fast. "You two are made for each other."

"I know! I told him I would meet him to play volleyball on Saturday!"

Tsukishima looked up from his phone. "Uh, you can't, remember, we're going back to Sendai for Yamaguchi's party." Hinata's expression fell. Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "Please. There are plenty more weekends for you to go meet him. He's not going to cry because you aren't there."

Hinata sighed and sat down on the bench. "Yeah I guess you're right."

"Congrats, though," Tsukishima said after a few seconds of silence. Hinata looked up from where he was finishing tying his shoes, confused. "Meeting your soulmate. Congratulations. It's kind of a big deal."

Hinata smiled. "Thanks. I'm pretty excited. Now, since we're going to go support your soulmate this weekend, the least you can do is come meet mine next week."

"I wasn't invited," Tsukishima protested immediately. Hinata hummed, but stood up, stretching.

"I guess we'll see what happens next week, then. I can't believe we didn't notice Bokuto's mark before we split!"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, shouldering his backpack before starting away. "I can. Have you met yourself? You'd miss a train coming toward you if you were distracted by anything volleyball related."

"Hey!" Hinata said, but he was grinning. "Wait up! I would not!"

***

The week was excruciatingly long (although Hinata did have a lot of fun at Yamaguchi's party, especially when he got to gloat to Kageyama about meeting his soulmate before him), and when Saturday night rolled around, Hinata was a bundle of nerves, excitement, and anticipation. He had been in the bathroom no less than three times the hour before they left. "You're thinking about this too hard," Tsukishima said, as if he hadn't known his soulmate for years. "I'm sure it'll be fine. If nothing else, you can geek out about volleyball."

Hinata sighed. "I guess," he grumbled. "You're sure you don't want to come?"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "And have to watch you swoon over your soulmate and how good he is at volleyball? No thanks. I'm sure you'll tell me all about it when you get back."

"Fine," Hinata grumbled. It was only a fifteen minute walk to the rec center from campus. As he walked in, he could hear the sound of squeaking shoes and volleyballs smacking the floor in the second gym over. He gulped, making his way over, then standing in front of it, willing himself to open the door. It was just volleyball. He was never nervous about volleyball.

Before Hinata could move, the door burst open and Bokuto himself came barreling out. "Oh! Hinata, you made it! Man, this is awesome! How've you been?"

Hinata gulped. His heart beat hard in his chest, and he had to regulate his breathing so as not to hyperventilate. "I'm...I'm good. A little nervous, I guess."

"Aw, I was nervous too. When you didn't show up last week I freaked out, but Akaashi reassured me that you were probably busy and you'd show up eventually." Bokuto scratched at his chin, and Hianta could see the slightly darkened skin on Bokuto's fingers. His cheeks warmed when he thought about his matching marks. "Also, I'm sorry that, you know, our first contact was...that awkward."

Hianta laughed. "Well, it makes for a good story, right?"

Bokuto smiled, and Hinata couldn't believe how right it felt to be here, with him.

"Hey, after this. Wanna go get ice cream or something?" Bokuto asked.

Hinata stared in awe at Bokuto and it took someone swearing in the gym for Hianta to blink out of his daze. "Oh! Oh, yeah, that sounds great!"

Bokuto smiled, reached out, and took Hinata's hand. "Awesome! Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone!"

Hinata allowed himself to be pulled into the gym, reveling in the feeling of Bokuto's hand on his. He didn't know what he had been so worried about, because right then, with volleyball and ice cream to look forward to afterward, he couldn't wait to get to know him better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments/kudos always welcome!
> 
> My [tumblr](https://twirlergirl1206.tumblr.com/) if you're interested!


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